Vacuum cleaner attachment



Feb. 24, 1942; T. w. OTT

I LACM CLEANER ATTACHMENT 2 Sheds-Sheet 1 Filed July 13, 1939 VINVENTOR.

772771755 WkZZ/gy BY a 5 ATTORNEY.

Feb. 24, 1942; f I T w on 7 2,274,560

VACUUM cmamna ATTACHMENT Filed July 15, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

T Y q? r I ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 24, 1942 2,274,560 VACUUM QLEANEB, ATTACHMENT ThomasWellington Ott, Milwaukee, Wis. Application July 13, 1939, Serial No.284,224

3 Claims. (01. -155) s This invention relates to vacuum cleaners andhere particularly to the nozzle thereof. An object of this inventionisto provide a nozzle having controlled suction.

Another object of this invention is to provide a nozzle adapted forcleaning in corners and close quarters, as for ex'ample,.the edges ofthe floor along the walls and close to furniture resting upon the floor.

Another object of this invention is to provide a nozzle having a controlelement responding to thedirection of movement of the nozzle to controlthe suction thereof.

Another object of this invention is .to provide a nozzle for a vacuumcleaner having a greater suction per unit area when moving in one direc-Figure '7 is a front elevation of the vacuum cleaner nozzle.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view similar to:

Figure 3 with the other passage in use.

A great variety of types and constructions of vacuum cleaner nozzleshas'been produced for interconnecting the suction device to the surfaceto be cleaned. In the present embodiment a nozzle has been producedwherein two passages-are tion than when moving in the oppositedirection. Another object of this invention is to provide a compositenozzle, having a base member provided with a pair of passages underlyinga capping member enclosing a passage control valve member slidinghorizontally across the top of the base member, so as to select thepassage.

Another object of this invention is to provide an eflicient nozzle forcontrolling the suction per unit area, which nozzle is easilymanipulated,

sturdy, dependable. and at the same-time easily produced.

Another object of this invention is to provide a nozzle adapted forgeneral cleaning when, actuated in one direction and forspecifically'concentrated cleaningwhen moving in the opposite direction.I Other objects and advantagesreside in the construction of parts, thecombination thereof, and the mode of operation, as will become moreapparent from the following description.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a nozzle for use on a vacuum cleaner,showing the arrangement of the channels normally overlying the surfaceto be cleaned.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the nozzle disclosed in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional'view taken substantially on the line 3-3of Figure 2'.

Figure 4 is a horizontal cross sectional view used for the flow of airinto. the cleaner, one of said passages having a cross sectional areasuch that the entire vacuum head is concentrated on a'small area,thereby creating a relatively large vacuum per unit area. much largerand covers a wider sweep; but in this one the vacuum per unit area isless, as the total vacuum created by the suction device of the vacuumcleaner is distributed'over a'much larger area. in the. nozzle head thatthe nozzle is very effective in cleaning along the edges of a room andadjacent furniture resting upon the floor and the like. .In order toincrease the benefits that may be derived from the use of a smallerpassage having a greater amount of suction per unit area, suitableagitating devices are associated with this passage, so as tomechanically agitate or disturb foreign matter that is otherwise hard toremove. Thus, the suction. device of the vacuum cleaner may beeifectivelyused in removing foreign matter diflicult todislodge. Thishas been accomplished by a mechanical 'agitatordisturbing the foreignmatter when it is subjected to the greatest amount of suction per unitarea, as will be- I come more fully apparent from the following detaileddescription of the device disclosed herecushioning device l2 secured inposition by suittaken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

' with parts broken away.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially in the directionof the arrow 5-5 in Figure 3, with parts omitted.

-Figv e 6 is a cross'sectional view similar to Figure 5 takensubstantially in the direction of the arrow 66 in Figure 8.

able screws l4, or in any other suitable manner.

Member III is provided with 'a long and broad channel l6 extendingsubstantially throughout the width of the base member. The channel lliopens'into the top by passage l8, adapted to communicate with thepassage 20- in a valve member 22 mounted for sliding movement on the topof the base Hi. This valve member 22 is provided with a rearwardlydirected flange por- 7 tion 22a underlying a capping member 24, holdingthe valve member 22 in position. This valve member 22 also has aforwardly directed flange portion 221) provided with suitable recessesfor The other passage is One of the passages is so located receivinghelical springs26 normally urging thevalve member into the rearwardposition, as viewed in Figure 3, against the cushion or rubber-likemember 28, eliminating hammering sounds. Guide members 21. one on eitherend of the valve member 22, are housed within capping member 24, toguide the valve member 22 7 in its fore and aft movement. The valvemember 22 is provided with a semi-cylindrical dome 1 with the passage orchannel M, the other passage .40 in the base is closed, so that no airis drawn through this second passage.- In other words, when the valvemember 22 is in the position disclosed in Figure 3 the entire suction ofthe suction device of the vacuum cleaner is supplied solely to thispassage. When the valve member 22 is actuated into the forwardpositionshown-in Figure 8, the other leg of the U-shaped passage 20 registerswith the passage 60, at

which time passage I6 is shut off. when the so that one leg of theU-shaped passage 20 communicat'es with the passage it when the valvemember 22 is in the rear position and the other leg of the U-shapedpassage 20 communicates with the passage 40 when the valve member'22 isadvanced into the forward position.

Screws 23 threadedly engage flange 22a and project through suitableelongated slots 25 in the capping member 24. These screws are normallyfree to slide with the valve member into fore and aft position, theslots 25' functioning as guides. In the event it should be desirable tolock the valve member in either fore or 'aft position, this may beaccomplished by tightening the screws .23, so as to lock the valvemember 22 in any selected position. If it is desirable to use thechannelor passage l6 exclusively, it is merely necessary to tighten the screws23 when the valve member 22 is in the aft position, as shown in Figure3. The valve member 22 may likewise be secured in the forward position,as shown in Figure 8. -This permits the adaptation of the nozzle for onespecific utility if so desired. When the screws.23 are loosened, thisvalve member ,22 is actuated from one position to the otherwhen' thedirection of. movement. of the nozzle changes. When the handle, notshown, which is interconnected to the T32, is used to push the nozzleforwardly, or to the left as viewed in Figures 3 and 8; the valve member22 is forced into the forward position as viewed in Figure 8 against thehelical springs 26, so as to utilize the narrow short passage 4 in thefront of the nozzle. -When the movement of the nozzle is reversed'f' thevalve member 22 is shifted from the forward position shown in Figure 8to the rear position shown in Figure3, shifting the suction supplied bythe suction device of the vacuum cleaner from the passage 40 to thepassage I6. As best seen by referring to Figure 1,

the passage 40 is very narrowand short, in that it extends only throughapproximately one-third of the maximum dimension of the base member I0.In addition thereto, the passage 40' is very narrow, thereby having asmall cross sectional area receiving the entire suction of the suctiondevice ofthe vacuum cleaner. By this arrangevalve member is in theposition disclosed in Figure 8, the entire suction produced by thesuction device of the vacuum cleaner is supplied solely to the passage40, In this manner it is possible to control the effectiveness of thevacuum cleaner automatically, by merely reversing the direction ofmovement of the nozzle.

In order to augment the effectiveness of the high vacuum supplied to thework surface through the passage 40, this passage may be bounded by oneor two brushes 44 and 45, one of which is located directly ahead or infront of the passage 40 and the other to the rear of this passage, whichbrushes are adapted to mechanically agitate any foreign matter that Ishould be removed. One or both of these brushes may be adjustably'mounted and adjusted by suitable screws 48.

In order to facilitate handling and manipulating the nozzle head,rollers 50 may he mounted in the bottom thereof," so as to aid inrelieving surface friction betweenthe rear portion of the nozzlefarthest removed from the passages. Thus, a pressure is exerted upon thehandle that has not been shown, so as to force near the baseboardsandthe like, in that the passage 40 is located in the very front edge ofthe base member II. This location, together with the high vacuumsupplied to this passage, makes it very effective for cleaning'edges'ofthe floor and the like. The rear passage extends over awider sweep, soas to clean a-larger area. This passage is very efiective for ordinarycleaning, the forward passage being particularly effective for theremoval of foreign matter that is hard to dislodge. The valve member 22responds to fore and aft movement'of the handle, so as to ment, thevacuum per unit area suppliedto the the one leg of the U-shaped'passage20 registers The valve member 22 is so designed that-when,

shift the valvejmember from communication with one passage tocommunication with the other passage, as the direction of movement ofthe nozzle is changed, without orienting the nozzle and without exertinga large force upon the handle. This shifting of the nozzle takes placeat all times unless the screws 23 are tightened, so as to lock the valvemember 22.

Although the preferred modification oi. the device has been described,it will be understood that within the purview of this invention variouschanges may be made in the form, details, proportion and arrangement ofparts, the combination thereof and th mode of operation, which generallystated consist in a device capable of carrying out the objects set forthas discloud and defined inthe appended claims.

7 Having thus described my invention, I claim: j.

1. An attachment for a vacmnn cleaner having a suction device saidattachment including a base member forming a nozzle having two airpassage openings extending in from the bottom of said base member, oneof said openings being larger than the other, the larger opening beinlocated to the rear of the smaller opening and having the sides thereofdirected forwardly so as to' substantially laterally disposed withrespect to the smaller opening on the sides thereof a valve member,having a U-shaped' passage interconnected to the suction device ofthe'vacuum cleaner, said valve member having two normal positions, saidvalve member when in one of said positions interconnecting the suctiondevice through one leg of the U-shaped passage to one of said airpassage openings and when in the other position interconnecting thesuction device through the other leg or the U-shaped passage to theother air passage opening, and

' means responding to the force actuating the nozzle'ior shitting saidvalve'member from on position to the other.

2. An attachment for a vacuum cleaner having a suction device, saidattachment including a base member forming a nozzle having two airpassage openings extending through the base,

one of said air passage openings being longer than the other, the longeropening being locatedto the rear of the shorter opening and having thesides thereof directed forwardly sons to be substantially laterallydisposed with respect to the shaped passage interconnected to thesuction device of the vacuum cleaner, said valve member having twonormaipositions, said valve member shorter opening, a valve-member having aU-.,

when in one of said positions interconnecting the suction device throughone leg of the U-shaped.

passage to one of said air passage openings, and when in the otherposition interconnecting the suction device through the other leg of theU- shaped passage to the other air passage opening,

and means for locking said valve member in any one of said positions. 3.An attachment for a vacuum cleaner having a suction device, saidattachment including a base member forming a nozzle having two airpassage openings extending in from the bottom of said base member, oneof said openings extending along the forward edge of the nozzle, theother opening being larger and longer extending to the rear of the-firstmentioned opening, the sides of the larger opening extending forward soas to extend near the front margin of the base to the .sides of thesmaller opening, a valve member interconnected to the suction device ofthe vacuum cleaner, said valve member having fore and aft positions,said valve member when in the fore position interconnecting the suctiondevice to' the smaller air passage

